1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to remote sensing. In particular, the disclosure relates to analysis of emissions of a system of interest to determine the presence of dew.
2. Description of the Related Art
Polarization emissivity provides a means of remote sensing systems that have some preferential orientation. See, for example, J. A. Shaw, “Degree of linear polarization in spectral radiances from water-viewing infrared radiometers,” Appl. Opt. 38, 3157-3165 (1999); P. C. Y. Chang, J. C. Flitton, K. I. Hopcraft, E. Jakeman, D. Jordan, and J. G. Walker, “Importance of shadowing and multiple reflections in emission polarization,” Waves Random Media 12, 1-19 (2002); D. L. Jordan, G. D. Lewis, and E. Jakeman, “Emission polarization of roughened glass and aluminum surfaces,” Appl. Opt. 35, 3583-3590 (1996); S. V. Nghiem, M. E. Veysoglu, J. A. Kong, and R. T. Shin, “Polarimetric passive remote sensing of a periodic soil surface: microwave measurements and analysis,” J. Electromagn. Waves Appl. 5, 997-1005 (1991); R. D. Tooley, “Man-made target detection using infrared polarization,” in Polarization considerations for optical systems II, R. A. Chipman, ed., Proc. SPIE 1166, 52-58 (1989); and A. W. Cooper, W. J. Lentz, and P. L. Walker, “Infrared polarization ship images and contrast in the MAPTIP experiment,” in Image Propagation Through the Atmosphere, L. R. Bissonnette and C. Dainty, eds., Proc. SPIE 2828, 35-96 (1996), each of which is incorporated by reference herein. Polarization emissivity has been proposed as a means, for instance, of discriminating between natural and man-made objects. Applications also include surface characterization, like terrain, but especially ocean waves.
U.S. patents and patent applications filed by Gorden Videen include the following; U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,083 (Videen); U.S. Pat. No. 6,239,873 (Videen), U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,441 (Videen); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,414,797 (Videen), U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/642,676 filed Aug. 19, 2003 by Gordon Videen, entitled Systems And Methods For Analyzing Particle Systems Using Polarized Scattered Lights; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/642,677 filed Aug. 19, 2003 by Gordon Videen, entitled Systems And Methods For Analyzing Particle Systems Of Surface Facets Using Polarized Scattered Light; and a U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/211,560 filed Aug. 20, 2005 and entitled “Systems And Methods For Analyzing Polarized Light Scattered From A Sample”, all of which are incorporated by reference herein.
The presence of moisture and dew in various systems have been detrimental in a variety of situations such as accelerating the formation of mold and fungi in grain elevators, animal feeds, and hay lofts; the growth and harvesting of plants and crops; electrical leakage and failure of electrical power equipment, microelectronic equipment and circuit boards; formation of films on optical equipment and retro-reflective surfaces; adverse effects on chemical processes, and the formation of moisture, films and ice on airplanes and vehicle windows. Methods and apparatus for detecting the presence of dew or moisture on surfaces are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,871,917 (O'Farrell et. al.); 4,942,364 (Nishijima et al.); 4,956,591 (Schierbeek et. al.); 5,298,750 (Rericha); 5,433,106 (Matsumura et. al.); 5,483,346 (Butzer); 5,541,733 (Gagnon); 5,557,251 (Barbour); 6,307,198 (Asakura et. al.); 6,762,409 (Fritsch); 6,768,422 (Schofield et. al.) and 6,832,507 (van de Berg, et. al.); all of which are herein fully incorporated by reference.